• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sinfully Spicy
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Appetizers & Snacks » Tikka & Kebab
    No ratings yet

    Tandoori Lamb Chops

    Published: Apr 23, 2024 by Tanvi Srivastava Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    These pan seared tandoori lamb chops are bursting with the flavor of fragrant indian spices and have a juicy interior and a beautifully browned exterior. To make the easy lamb chop marinade you need yogurt, ginger, garlic and few spices to tame the gaminess of the meat, along with fresh herbs and a splash of lemon juice. Ideal lamb chops recipe to make for your summer grilling and bbq parties!

    Front view of indian spiced lamb chops in a black platter.

    Lamb isn't that popular in India and I didn't grow up eating a lot of lamb chops, rather mostly mutton. Muttons chops are fancy and expensive, so occasionally, mom would would treat us to her special masala mutton chops, and her recipe is the inspiration behind this recipe. The difference is that she simmered the chops with onions, yogurt and whole spices, however, I marinate the lamb chops in a simialr spice paste and then go on to pan sear them.

    Here, in United States, lamb is easier to find over mutton and my family adores it. The taste of both kinds of meat immensely varies, however texture and cooking times are quite similar. Drawing from my experience with cooking mutton, I've developed many lamb recipes over time.

    When cooking lamb chops on the stove, a heavy cast iron pan or a grill pan is your best friend. It's weight ensures remarkable searing, hence enhancing the flavor of the meat. The charred edges of these succulent lamb chops are the best part! Alternatively, you can prepare the lamb chops in an air fryer, following a similar method to my lamb tikka recipe. The result? Moist, flavorful lamb chops that will delight your taste buds.

    More Tandoori Recipes To Try

    • Tandoori Salmon Tikka featured Image.
      Tandoori Salmon Tikka (Fish Tikka)
    • Tandoori Chicken Featured image.
      Restaurant-Worthy Tandoori Chicken (Oven Baked)
    • Air fryer Tandoori Paneer Tikka Featured Image.
      Tandoori Paneer Tikka In Air Fryer
    • Whole Tandoori Chicken Featured Image.
      Air Fryer Whole Tandoori Chicken
    Tandoori Lamb Chops placed in a black serving platter with green chutney and fresh salad.

    Where to Buy Lamb Chops

    I purchase a rack of lamb from Trader Joe's or Alberstsons when making it just for us. When I am making them in larger quantity, I buy them at Costco, simply because they are economical. I separate the lamb rack into chops myself - they look neat and are easier to marinate. Trust me it's not difficult to butcher them at all, make sure to use a sturdy sharp knife.

    Feel free to use lamb loin chops or more economical lamb cuts in this recipe, or if you're lucky enough to stumble upon mutton chops, they are wonderful too.

    Indian Lamb Chop Marinade

    If you love to order tandoori lamb chops at indian restaurants, now you can make them at half the price using this easy recipe. This marinade is super easy- just combine ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Brush or rub the lamb chops with the marinade, leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight (preferably) and then cook 'em.

    Marination is a fantastic technique and could easily be one of my favorite cooking processes. It helps meat helps absorb salt and if there are spices present in the marinade, just like in this recipe, you can imagine the enhanced flavor of meat post-marination!

    Ingredients needed for making tandoori lamb chops.

    At the heart of this indian lamb chops marinade is the ground spices, which work their magic by subduing the gaminess of the meat while infusing it with aroma, color, and, ofcourse, deep flavors. Here's what you'll need for this flavorful yogurt-based marinade.

    • Ground Spices - red chili powder or cayenne pepper (for heat), garam masala powder(for warmth and aroma), ground cinnamon (it's sweet aroma goes well with meat), touch of turmeric powder(to push the color of red chilli powder), coriander powder & cumin powder(for earthy flavor), chaat masala powder (for smoky tanginess). If you do not have chaat masala powder, use black salt or else use bit of extra lemon juice.
    • Garlic Paste & Ginger Paste - These take care of any foul smell in the meat and add a ton of flavor. I simple cannot imagine cooking meat dishes without these two ingredients.
    • Whole Milk Plain Greek yogurt (or thick yogurt) - We don't need a lot and yogurt should not be watery, it should have a conistency like softened cream cheese. Yogurt lends a gentle tartnes and helps create a moist marinade together with lemon juice, while also protecting ground spices from burning during searing. I prefer to use yogurt because I want to minimize oil quantity (lamb has high fat content on its own) to make the marinade spreadable.
    • Herbs - I use fresh cilantro and mint leaves(great pairing with lamb!). If you don't like cilantro, use fresh parsley. Chop the fresh herbs as finely as you can. If you have dried mint at hand, use ½ teaspoon of it. If you want to give these chops a punjabi flair, add little kasuri methi(dried frnigreek leaves). Crush dried herbs between palms of your hand before adding to the marinade.
    • Salt, ground black pepper, avocado oil (or any unflavored high smoking point cooking oil) and lemon juice (it's bright sourness pairs wonderfully with red meat.)

    How To Cook Tandoori Lamb Chops

    1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and using a small whisk, mix thoroughly until smooth. The marinade should not be runny else it will slip off the lamb chops.
    2. Place lamb chops in a large bowl and add the marinade over them. Using clean hands (or wear gloves), thoroughly rub the marinade on all sides of the chops.
    Images showing how to make tandoori marinade.
    Tandoori marinade is added over lamb chop.
    1. Cover the bowl with a cling film and leave to marinate for at least 3-4 hours, refrigetated. For best results, marinate overnight(8 hours). Set the marinated lamb chops out of the fridge 30-40 minutes prior to cooking.
    2. Heat up a cast iron skillet(10 inch) on high heat. Add 1.5 tablespoon oil and layer the marinated lamb chops in the skillet. Depending on size, you should be able to place 4-5 chops at a time.
    Lamb chops covered in spicy marinade.
    Lamb chops ready for overnight marination.
    1. Pan-sear in the hot skillet until golden brown on one side. Using tongs, pick and turn and let the other side brown. Use a thermometer and make sure that each lamb chop reaches an internal temperature of 145°F - 150°F when probed at its thickest part, which typically takes 8 to 10 minutes in total. We like ours medium to well done, please adjust cooking time as needed depending on how you like your lamb chops. Here's a guide to cooking temperatures for lamb.
    2. Pick using tongs and place on a plate. Repeat pan searing the rest of the lamb chop in a similar way.
    3. Let the chops rest for a few minutes before serving. Resting helps the juices reconstitute and the chops taste really juicy!
    Pan seared lamb chops in a cast iron skillet.

    Air Fryer Lamb Chops

    Preheat your air fryer (I use 8 qt) on 400F for 2 minutes. Layer the chops in a single layer on the air fryer basket. If you have a smaller air fryer, you will have to air fry in batches. Highly recommend using a liner for easy cleaning later.

    Air fry the tandoori lamb chops for 9-11 minutes, flipping mid way(using tongs). Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer to make sure that they are medium to well done.

    What to Serve With Lamb Chops

    • I love to serve lamb chops with green chutney and a fresh salad like kachumber salad. If you like a touch of sweet, mango chutney or sweet tamarind chutney is good too.
    • Pair them with rice dishes such as jeera rice (cumin scented rice), egg pulao or mushroom pulao for a hearty meal.
    Closeup image of tandoori lamb chops.

    Recipe Tips

    • Avoid overcrowding the cast iron pan or air fryer basket. To get a nice sear or crispy browned edges, we need a little room.
    • Don't marinate the lamb chops beyond 8-10 hours, the lamb chop meat is quite tender it starts acquiring an unpleasant texture due to over marination.
    • You can adjust the quantity of ground spices as per your liking and tolerance.
    Tandoori Lamb Chops Featured Image.

    Tandoori Lamb Chops (Pan Seared)

    Tanvi Srivastava
    Pan seared tandoori lamb chops bursting with the flavor of indian spices. Juicy on the inside and beautifully browned outside!
    No ratings yet
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 lamb chops (1.5lb)
    • 2 tablespoon avocado oil for cooking

    Tandoori Marinade Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt plain, full fat
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
    • ½ tablespoon garlic paste
    • ½ teaspoon ginger paste
    • 2 tablespoon green herbs finely chopped, I used fresh cilantro & fresh mint leaves
    • 1.25 teaspoon salt adjust to taste

    Ground Spices

    • 1.5 teaspoon coriander powder
    • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (hot), adjust to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
    • ¼ teaspoon chaat masala or use black salt or extra lemon juice

    Instructions
     

    • Combine all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and using a small whisk, mix thoroughly until smooth. The marinade should not be runny else it will slip off the lamb chops.
    • Place lamb chops in a large bowl and add the marinade over them. Using clean hands (or wear gloves), thoroughly rub the marinade on all sides of the chops.
    • Cover the bowl with a cling film and leave to marinate for at least 3-4 hours, refrigetated. For best results, marinate overnight(8 hours). Set the marinated lamb chops out of the fridge 30-40 minutes prior to cooking.
    • Heat up a cast iron skillet(10 inch) on high heat. Add 1.5 tablespoon oil and layer the marinated lamb chops in the skillet. Depending on size, you should be able to place 4-5 chops at a time.
    • Pan-sear in the hot skillet until golden brown on one side. Using tongs, pick and turn and let the other side brown. Use a thermometer and make sure that each lamb chop reaches an internal temperature of 145°F - 150°F when probed at its thickest part, which typically takes 8 to 10 minutes in total. We like ours medium to well done, please adjust cooking time as needed depending on how you like your lamb chops. Here's a guide to cooking temperatures for lamb.
    • Pick using tongs and place on a plate. Repeat pan searing the rest of the lamb chop in a similar way.
    • Let the chops rest for a few minutes before serving. Resting helps the juices reconstitute and the chops taste really juicy!

    Tandoori Lamb Chops in Air Fryer

    • Preheat your air fryer (I use 8 qt) on 400F for 2 minutes. Layer the chops in a single layer on the air fryer basket. If you have a smaller air fryer, you will have to air fry in batches. Highly recommend using a liner for easy cleaning later.
    • Air fry the tandoori lamb chops for 9-11 minutes, flipping mid way(using tongs). Check the internal temperature using a meat thermometer to make sure that they are medium to well done.

    Notes

    • Please refer to the post above for my ingredient substitution notes.
    • Avoid overcrowding the cast iron pan or air fryer basket. To get a nice sear or crispy browned edges, we need a little room.
    • Don't marinate the lamb chops beyond 8-10 hours, the lamb chop meat is quite tender it starts acquiring an unpleasant texture due to over marination.
    • You can adjust the quantity of ground spices as per your liking and tolerance.
    Serving Ideas 
    • I love to serve lamb chops with green chutney and a fresh salad like kachumber salad. If you like a touch of sweet, mango chutney or sweet tamarind chutney is good too.
    • Pair them with rice dishes such as jeera rice (cumin scented rice), egg pulao or mushroom pulao for a hearty meal.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Tikka & KebabLamb

    More Tikka & Kebab

    • Tandoori Shrimp Tikka featured Image.
      Pan fried Tandoori Shrimp Tikka (Air fryer Option)
    • Lamb Seekh Kebab Featured Image.
      Indian Lamb Seekh Kebab (Pan-fried Spicy Lamb Skewers)
    • Achari Aloo Tikka Featured Image.
      Achari Aloo Tikka (Air Fryer)
    • Hara Bhara Kabab Featured Image.
      Easy Hara Bhara Kabab

    Share This Recipe

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Email

    Reader Interactions

    I'd Love to Hear from You! Cancel reply

    If you tried this recipe, please leave a star rating and share your feedback below. Your input helps me refine my recipes and guides others too. As always, thank you so much for your support!

    Thank you,
    Tanvi

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tanvi! If you love Indian food, you are at the right place, browse through hundreds of delicious Indian recipes

    More about me ?

    Popular

    • Chilli Paneer Featured Image.
      Street Style Chilli Paneer
    • Masoor Dal featured Image.
      Simple Masoor Dal Recipe (Spiced Red Lentils)
    • Paneer Burger Featured Image.
      Crispy Pakora Crusted Paneer Burger (Air Fryer)
    • Pistachio Tiramisu Featured Image.
      Pistachio Tiramisu (Raw Eggfree, No Coffee)
    • Mango Rice Pudding Featured Image.
      Creamy Mango Rice Pudding (Mango Kheer)
    • Bhindi Masala Featured Image.
      Dhaba Style Bhindi Masala Recipe

    Looking for Something?

    Footer

    back to top

    Links

    • Recipe Index
    • Privacy Policy
    • Editorial Policies

    Free Recipe Book

    • Sign Up! to get your e-copy!

    About

    • About Me

    Copyright © 2025 Sinfully Spicy

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required